How are End-of-Life Vehicles Recycled in Australia?

Each year, hundreds of thousands of vehicles reach the end of their usable life in Australia. The auto recycling industry plays a critical role in keeping hazardous materials out of landfill and returning valuable materials back into the supply chain. Here's how the end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling process works nationally.

Scale of the industry

• Australia produces approximately 500,000–600,000 end-of-life vehicles per year.
• The auto recycling sector supports thousands of jobs across wreckers, metal recyclers and parts resellers.
• The industry diverts millions of tonnes of metal and materials from landfill annually.

The national recycling process

• Collection: Vehicles are acquired by wreckers and car removal companies.
• Depollution: Fluids, batteries and refrigerants are removed and processed safely.
• Dismantling: Reusable parts are harvested and listed for resale.
• Shredding: The remaining shell is shredded by industrial shredders.
• Material sorting: Ferrous metal (steel), non-ferrous metals (aluminium, copper) and other materials are separated using magnets and eddy current separators.
• Recycling: Materials are sent to steel mills and aluminium smelters for reuse.
• What percentage of a car is actually recycled?

Metal content (75–80%): Almost entirely recyclable.

• Fluids (5–8%): Recovered and reprocessed or safely disposed of.
• Plastics and rubber (15–20%): Increasingly being recovered; some still ends up in landfill but technologies are improving.
• Glass: Recovered and recycled where facilities exist.

Fast Auto Car Removal — part of Melbourne’s responsible auto recycling ecosystem. Call 0499 774 336.